


Realisation is Key

by orphan_account



Series: Shippy Hobbit Stories [2]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Dwalin knows everything, Fluff, M/M, Ori Is A Sweetheart, Ori is shipper trash, Whoops Balin is a matchmaker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 22:07:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3912343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ori doesn't realize that Dwalin knows. Well he does, just later than the elder anticipated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Realisation is Key

**Author's Note:**

> I had this up on Tumblr a while ago, figured I'd post it here too.

The very early morning, before anyone else was up, saw a young, ginger-haired dwarf pacing the wall of Erebor in a flustered panic. Unfortunately for him, the morning air did nothing to soothe his heart or cool his mind; all it did was clear his lungs, and for that he owed it a resentful look—not that he could look at air, especially the air that was now inside his body. Well, he had just exhaled, so surely— Ori shook his head at himself.

This was no help. No help at all! He just needed to calm down and convince himself that his brain was wrong.

He was simply mistaking strong feelings of friendship for love. Yes, yes, that must be it—

… except for his dreams (that had, thank Mahal, been quite).

Alright then; strong feelings of friendship and lust.

…

Even in his head that sounded wrong. Ori sighed and stopped pacing, staring out into the sunrise.

Hang it all. He stood there for a while, contemplating his future and what he could do. Several paths of choice came and went through his head, all of them cast aside after they dwindled into unreliable fantasies.

+*+*+*+

Ori did not avoid Dwalin like a plague.

No, no in fact he was confronting the older dwarf more often than ever. Talking to him. Interacting with him. Hoping one day the illusion in his head would break into a million pieces and they could go BACK to friends.

Well, back in Ori’s case. He was pretty sure Dwalin still considered them friends. (Friends and nothing more).

Until one morning, after talking to Thorin and Bilbo (King Thorin and his Prince Consort, he kept forgetting titles) about restoring the library, Ori had run into Balin.

“Ah, my good lad, there you are!” the elder dwarf said cheerfully.

And right then and there, Ori knew he was in trouble.

It got worse

“G-good morning Master Balin!” he said, trying not to let his panic show. “Was there something you needed?”

“As a matter of fact, I was wondering when you’re going to tell anyone you’re trying to court my brother.”

In these types of situations, Ori usually fainted. But after so many months on the road, pushed into so many different situations, he found himself still awake.

Hang it all.

“A-ah, we-well, sir, you see—” he paused trying to think of something. Anything. “I—I’m not entirely sure your brother returns my a-affection. Zz. Affections.” Ori nearly hit himself over the head. Correcting his common in the middle of an explication that was a lie (because seriously, the only person who thought of him and Dwalin was, well, him), wasn’t going to bolster his chances. He really hoped Balin was joking and would compliment him on picking up the trick so quickly.

But he wasn’t. And he didn’t.

Instead, he looked surprised. “I thought he’d made it a little obvious he reciprocated!” Ori flushed a very deep shade of red.

“Y-y-yes, w-well I; *cough* I’m not very w-well informed on s-such matters.” Another lie; he had ten books on it in his room and twenty more written about his companions that he’d had to find research for to write. But he hadn’t noticed Dwalin grinning at him cheekily, or—wait.

He HAD made it obvious.

Ori flushed a darker and darker red as he realized all the little hints Dwalin had dropped. Over the campfire. In Lake-town. Mahal’s beard, he’d flirted with him after the trolls!

Ori buried his face in his hands with a “oh MAHAL”. He could distantly hear Balin laughing, but it wasn’t the bad kind. And oh, Ori had been obvious too! How had he not realized that Dwalin had realized that Ori had realized how he felt about him and yet not realize how Dwalin felt about him and was waiting for him to realize and—

“I’ll be expecting the first gift in two weeks, laddie,” Balin said with a chortle, and Ori could only nod.


End file.
